Herbarium Label - HANDOUT

Key to the value of maintaining an herbarium are the records associated with each plant specimen. To maintain consistent information about the plants in your herbarium, a label can be affixed to the specimen plate to complete a permanent record of each plant. Feel free to copy and use the herbarium label shown here OR click here for a printable version with 4 per page: http://www.oldgarden.com/HerbariumLabels4.pdf.   For more information about creating herbariums: http://oldgardensolutions.blogspot.com/2013/07/creating-herbarium-for-your-garden.html.


NOTE: The "habitat" field is used to record the type of soil/climate the plants was found in; the "growth" field can be used to indicate the nature of the plant's growth, i.e., shrub, vine, etc.

 

Creating an Herbarium for Your Garden

Herbariums are collections of pressed plant specimens mounted on archival paper and labeled with the plant's identifying information and collection data. Typically, herbariums are maintained by botanical gardens, universities, and other such places; however, creating an herbarium for your own garden or surrounding environment is a nifty way to familiarize yourself and others with your surrounding plant world. An herbarium also serves as an inventory and history of the plants within your habitat.

The first step in creating an herbarium is collecting the plant and pressing it. Typically, if the plant's size permits, the entire plant is pressed. Obviously, it may be necessary to fold the stem, or remove some of the plant in order to fit it on the page of an old book or plant press. Allow about three weeks for the plant to dry. Thicker plants parts may require more time. Be sure to make a record of where and when the plant was collected. Once the plant is dry it can be mounted.

Creating an herbarium is a great nature or garden project that is suitable for all ages. It is also ideal for horticultural therapy sessions to familiarize and connect participants with the surrounding plant world. For a reproducible herbarium label see this related post: http://oldgardensolutions.blogspot.com/2013/07/herbarium-label-handout.html